Operation HOPE Announces Historic Partnership with the Country’s Top Nonprofits to Launch HOPE AI™ - a National Strategy for Inclusive Financial and AI Literacy

Dream Machine Innovation Lab, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, 100 Black Men of America, UNCF, and Shopify Join Forces with Operation HOPE to Expand AI Access, Coaching, and Opportunity to All

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Operation HOPE, a national nonprofit dedicated to helping low- and moderate-income Americans thrive in an ever-changing economy, today announced a historic partnership with a coalition of the nation’s most trusted and influential nonprofit organizations to launch HOPE AI™, a groundbreaking national strategy to bring both financial literacy and artificial intelligence literacy to every community in America. The announcement was marked by a powerful moment on the main stage at this year’s Annual Meeting of the Hope Global Forums in Atlanta, where the leaders of these organizations stood together with Operation HOPE Founder, Chairman and CEO John Hope Bryant for a historic signing ceremony affirming their shared commitment to this national effort.

Participating organizations and leaders included:

• Van Jones, Founder of The Dream Machine Innovation Lab
• Artis Stevens, CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters of America
• Milton Jones, Jr., Chairman of the United Negro College Fund and Chairman of 100 Black Men of America
• Harley Finkelstein, President of Shopify (serving as HOPE AI™’s technology partner)

Developed in coordination with the AI Ethics Council (AIEC), HOPE AI™ is designed to ensure that every community in America has a fair shot at participating in—and benefiting from—the AI economy. First, through HOPE Inside AI™, the initiative will activate trained AI coaches at more than 1,500 locations nationwide—embedded in banks, schools, churches, employers, and workforce centers—where individuals and families can access no-cost, in-person or virtual coaching on using AI responsibly for everyday productivity, financial planning, budgeting, and credit-building. Second, through Community AI™, HOPE AI™ will equip schools, nonprofits, and cities with curated AI tools, templates, and safe-use onboarding and training to help organizations improve their daily operations responsibly and effectively. And third, HOPE AI™ will track national progress through the HOPE AI Equity Index™, the nation’s first measure of inclusive AI readiness, ensuring that communities are not left behind as AI capabilities continue to expand.

“Today’s historic launch of HOPE AI™ marks the start of a national movement—bringing together some of the most incredible organizations in America to stand united for our shared future. Operation HOPE is deeply grateful to the Dream Machine Innovation Lab, Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, 100 Black Men of America, UNCF, and Shopify for locking arms with us in this work,” said John Hope Bryant, Chairman, Founder and CEO of Operation HOPE. “Collectively, these organizations represent tens of millions of children, families, and communities nationwide. Their participation sends a powerful signal that leading institutions are joining forces to ensure every community—no matter the zip code—has access to the opportunities of the future. This commitment ensures we are future proofing our nation and empowering people with the tools to thrive in an AI-driven economy.”

About Operation HOPE, Inc.

Since 1992, Operation HOPE has been moving America from civil rights to "silver rights" with the mission of making free enterprise and capitalism work for the underserved—disrupting poverty for millions of low and moderate-income youth and adults across the nation. Through its community uplift model, HOPE Inside, which received the 2016 Innovator of the Year recognition by American Banker magazine, Operation HOPE has served more than 4 million individuals and directed more than $3.2 billion in economic activity into disenfranchised communities—turning check-cashing customers into banking customers, renters into homeowners, small business dreamers into small business owners, minimum wage workers into living wage consumers, and uncertain disaster victims into financially empowered disaster survivors. For more information: OperationHOPE.org. Follow the HOPE conversation on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn.